Frost School of Music Profiles

D. Scott Stinson

What would you say are the outstanding highlights of your professional life?

Conducting my First Symphony in public at age 15

Performing my Piano Concerto No. 1 in public at age 17

Hearing Joshua Bell play in Josef Gingold’s violin class

Having my opera Tutankhamen performed by the Indiana University opera studio

Winning the concerto/orchestra competition for my orchestral work Schlafes Bruder as a freshman at UM

What advice would you give an aspiring young musician?

Begin the study of piano, a string instrument, and private composition/theory as early as possible!

How were you influenced by your teachers?

My teacher John Eaton had been told by Edgar Varese that a young composer should thoroughly study all the keyboard works of J.S. Bach, then skip to Debussy’s Jeux, since everything that happens in Western music during that in-between period is primarily just the logical outgrowth and development of Bach’s musical thought.

Career Highlights:

A graduate of the Indiana University, Scott Stinson studied composition with electronic music pioneer and micro-tonalist John Eaton, before completing his Doctorate at the University of Miami under the tutelage of Dennis Kam.

An early performance (at age 24) of his opera Tutankhamen by the Indiana University opera studio led to increased compositional exploration of microtonal and extended instrumental techniques combined with electronics.

Research interests include contemporary composers Mathias Pintscher, Andrew Toovey and Donnacha Dennehey, as well as contemporary opera and the piano music of Gyorgy Ligeti.

Currently serving as adjunct instructor in Music Theory and Composition at the Frost School of Music, he also spends as much time as possible with taekwondo, chess and reading historical biographies (particularly those of English monarchs).

Short Biography:

Scott Stinson is a lecturer in theory and composition in the Department of Music Theory and Composition at the Frost School of Music. A graduate of Indiana University, Scott Stinson studied composition with electronic music pioneer and micro-tonalist John Eaton, before completing his Doctorate at the University of Miami under the tutelage of Dennis Kam. An early performance (at age 24) of his opera Tutankhamen by the Indiana University opera studio led to increased compositional exploration of microtonal and extended instrumental techniques combined with electronics. Research interests include contemporary composers Mathias Pintscher, Andrew Toovey and Donnacha Dennehey, as well as contemporary opera and the piano music of Gyorgy Ligeti. Dr. Stinson also coordinates the activities of the Frost School of Music’s on-line Basic Music Theory course.